Justin King chooses not to speak up much.
Yet when he does, the entire University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team listens.
Not pleased with what he considered a slow start in last week’s road game against East Tennessee State, King organized a quick team huddle at the end of the first quarter with the Mocs leading 3-0 but being outplayed by the Buccaneers.
The message was clear: Pick it up.
“I felt like we weren’t playing to Chattanooga football standards, so I decided to call a brief meeting and let my teammates know we’re No. 3 for a reason; we practice hard for a reason; we condition hard in the summer for a reason.
“Plus I’m a senior and it’s my last year. It’s crazy to say you have to wait until your last year to step up and be a leader, but I felt like this year is a special year for us. That ran through my mind before I called the meeting – to tell my guys we have to step up and play Chattanooga football.”
The result was a 37-7 victory in a game dominated by the Mocs in the final three quarters.
“That was really important for us to hear,” cornerback C.J. Fritz said. “We need leaders like that in the program to help us have success, so him doing that helps us and improves us every day, every week.”
King’s father taught him growing up to “be a leader, not a follower.” Since stepping on the UTC campus after transferring from Tennessee in the spring of 2015, King has done just that. Asked by the Mocs’ coaching staff to play defensive tackle, the former fullback, wildcat quarterback and linebacker for the Vols added 30 pounds of muscle to make himself more formidable at the position.
Injuries led to him starting the final three games of the 2015 season, and he’s started every game this season for the 5-0 Mocs, who host a dangerous Mercer team this afternoon at 4 at Finley Stadium.
“He’s a really good leader,” coach Russ Huesman said. “He’s always had good leadership qualities because he’s not a complainer, not a locker-room lawyer. He doesn’t say a lot, but when he says something, it’s normally positive, normally something the team needs to hear.
“I think Justin has come light-years in the time he’s been here. Where he’s come as a person and as a player, he’s made unbelievable strides.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.